Bangalore, September 11: With six new swine flu deaths being reported in Karnataka, the death toll due to the H1N1 virus in the state reached 53, a health official said here Friday.
While four deaths were reported from Bangalore, the other two were registered in Davangere and Bijapur.
However, the report confirming that all six tested positive for the virus was received only on Sep 10, a health official said.
Out of the four deaths in Bangalore, two were reported from Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Chest Diseases (RGICD).
Confirming the two deaths at RGICD, Shashidhar Buggi, the director of the institute said: ‘A 20-year-old pregnant woman succumbed to swine flu as she had arrived at a very critical stage. The woman was 36 weeks into pregnancy and was to deliver shortly.’
‘Another 40-year-old woman also succumbed at RGICD,’ Buggi added.
The other two death reports in Bangalore were that of a 13-year-old boy who died at a private hospital on Sep 8 and a 59-year-old man admitted on Sep 3, who died two days later.
The rest of the two death cases in the state include a 53-year-old man who died Saturday at a private hospital in Bijapur and an 11-month-old infant boy who died Tuesday at a private hospital in Davangere.
The Global Hygiene Council organised a conference on the H1N1 flu Thursday.
The conference focused on hygienic measures which can be adopted by people to avoid getting infected by the flu.
‘Simple measures like washing hands and maintaining personal hygiene can help fight the flu,’ said Narendra Saini, an official of the Council.
Meanwhile 32 fresh cases tested positive for the H1N1 virus, out of which 25 were reported in Bangalore, 3 in Bijapur, one each in Bidar, Davangere, Bellary and Mysore.
Till date 686 people have tested positive for the flu in the state.
–IANS